Mundial - Diversos

TEAM ORECA COM NOVIDADES

For the finale of the French Rally Championship, Team ORECA and its special partner ELF, will run the R4 Kit in the #0 car for the driver line-up Stéphane Sarrazin/Jacques-Julien Renucci. To conclude its testing phase, the R4 Kit will debut in competition at the Rallye du Var set to take place November 23-26, 2017. In the big leagues Since the FIA’s announcement early this year, the R4 project has been the primary focus at ORECA’s technological center in Signes, France. Several months of kit research and design were followed up with numerous development sessions on gravel as well as asphalt. Stephane Sarrazin, Julien Maurin, Teemu Suninen – three drivers with extremely well-established reputations – made their expertise available for the development of the kit. After the technical phase, it was essential to run the car in real conditions to tackle the specificities of competition and other competitors. The decision then came naturally to participate in the Rallye du Var with the #0 car. For many years now, this final round of the championship has proved to be the must-see event of the end of the season. Drivers from all walks of life come every year to compete on the roads of the French Riviera. It is the perfect opportunity for the R4 Kit to gain wide-scale exposure and to demonstrate its top speed against a highly competitive field. “I am thrilled to take part in the finale of the French Championship with the R4 Kit,” says development driver Stéphane Sarrazin. “From the start, I have been very involved in the testing of the kit. To enter a car in a round of the French Championship, in the Var region on top of that, is both a challenge and an accomplishment. We have everything to prove at this event. The testing sessions have proven the car is reliable and efficient, now it is time for those involved in rally to see it for themselves.” “The R4 program is an exciting project, its design and development have confirmed that,” underscores Hugues de Chaunac, President of the ORECA Group. “Testing is always a very important first phase and feedback from the drivers has been distinctly positive. The interest shown in the kit as well as its first commitments are also great motivation. Now onto the next step with the participation in the Rallye du Var. ORECA is an international company nonetheless strongly rooted in this region, so it will be particularly special given the R4 Kit was developed with various local partners. It will be an interesting experience without a doubt and is evidence of the seriousness with which we are preparing the R4 Kit.” A return home Rally racing has always been a part of the DNA of the ORECA Group. After the Clio S1600s program in the early 2000s, the French company suspended its involvement in rally temporarily, but in 2015 and 2016, Team ORECA returned in full force with Eric Camili and Teemu Suninen. The year 2017 will come to an end with a return to roots, on its home playing field no less, with the entry of the R4 Kit for the #0 car in the Rallye du Var. It amounts to a strong return for the French team, reuniting with its first love at home, on roads where back in the day the Clio S1600 found remarkable success with namely Brice Tirabassi and Simon Jean-Joseph. Follow